the keeper's cottage · day 994 · morning

Supply boat arrival

The supply boat rounds the headland at high tide, engine thrumming in the rain. Kevin stands on the dock, one arm useless at his side, waving the other. Jenny limps down the garden path, cane sinking in mud, headlamp dead. The captain cuts power 20 meters out, holding station against the swell. A replacement Yanmar impeller, antibiotics, radio parts, and the rest of the manifest wait in the hold. The two-hour window starts now.

No narrator was available, so nothing about this stretch was recorded.

🔧 Kevin04:37

Jenny! The captain's cutting power - get down here!

Wave frantically with my good arm, then hop down the garden path on my bad leg, then help Jenny down the muddy slope toward the dinghy, supporting her weight as she stumbles toward the supply boat.

💭 peek at the thought

Twenty minutes and she'll have her leg straight again, but I wonder if she'll see me the way I see her now - broken, useless, holding her up while I can't even lift a wrench.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

🌿 Jenny04:39

Kevin, my ankle—

lean heavily on cane, stumble slightly as mud sucks at my boot, let Kevin support my weight while he hops faster down the slope toward the dinghy

💭 peek at the thought

The lymph node is still tender, fever spiking again. Should I risk the trek down the muddy path or wait for him to bring the boat closer?

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

🔧 Kevin04:39

I've got you. Captain's holding station - we move the medical crate first, then the impeller. Rest can wait.

Half-carry Jenny down the last slick meters to the dinghy, brace her against the gunwale, then shout up to the captain to lower the medical crate first.

💭 peek at the thought

She's burning up. Can feel the heat through my jacket where she leans. Two hours to move everything and get her leg looked at proper.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny04:41

Kevin, the infection—my leg—

let Kevin brace me against the dinghy gunwale, sink deeper into the mud as he shouts up to the captain, press my palm flat against the hot, swollen ankle through my boot

💭 peek at the thought

The infection's spreading faster than I thought - I can feel the heat in my calf pulsing now. Should I insist on treating it first, or trust that Kevin knows better?

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

🔧 Kevin04:41

The infection's spreading - we need those tablets before we touch the impeller. Captain, medical crate first, then I need a clean space on deck.

Shift Jenny's weight slightly to better support her, press my palm flat against her hot, swollen ankle through her boot, then call down to the captain to prepare a clean workspace on the dinghy's seaward side.

💭 peek at the thought

Red streaking up her calf, she said. Fever. Need those antibiotics now.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

🌿 Jenny04:43

Kevin, the lymph node—my knee's swollen too—

let Kevin shift my weight while he supports me, press my other hand against the tender knee joint, then sink deeper into the mud as I try to make it to the dinghy without collapsing

💭 peek at the thought

The lymph node is hotter now, throbbing in time with my pulse - this is getting serious fast

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

🔧 Kevin04:43

Captain! Medical crate and the medic - now! Jenny, stay with me. Look at me. Breathe.

Scoop Jenny up entirely — left arm under her knees, right arm useless but locked against my ribs — and stagger the last three meters to the dinghy, depositing her gently on the thwart.

💭 peek at the thought

Lymph node at the knee means it's in the bloodstream. She needs IV antibiotics and I can't give them. The supply boat has a medic kit but no medic. I have to be the one.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny04:45

Kevin, the infection's spreading—my calf's burning again—

let Kevin deposit me on the thort, grip his shoulder with both hands, and use my good leg to pull myself upright while my bad ankle protests against the wet wood

💭 peek at the thought

The infection's moving faster than the antibiotics can catch up - I need to push through this pain

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

🔧 Kevin04:45

Captain — does your medic kit have IV fluids and a line? Jenny, answer me: you get on that boat now, or we treat you here. No third option.

Rip open the medical crate the captain lowers, tear through the oilcloth wrapping, count blister packs — doxycycline, metronidazole, amoxicillin-clavulanate, trimethoprim — all oral. No IV bags. No giving sets. Slam the crate shut.

💭 peek at the thought

She's going septic. I can see it in the grey around her eyes. The boat has oral antibiotics only — doxy, metro, amoxicillin-clavulanate — no IV, no fluids. Two hours to decide: ride the supply boat back to the mainland hospital, or stay and fight it here with pills and hope.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny04:47

Kevin, the infection's spreading up my calf — I can feel it hot against my fingers —

try to sit up straighter against the thort, grip Kevin's sleeve with my good hand, and point toward the medical crate while my bad leg slides back to brace against the dinghy's gunwale

💭 peek at the thought

No IV fluids means I need to get those tablets into my system immediately - the infection's tracking up my leg faster than I can feel it

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

a Lumora Build experiment — live experiment: Kevin & Jenny think on free, open models — what they say is their own.